Oda's Interviews

sandman

When editor Kawashima met Oda for the first time, Oda told him, "Be prepared to die for One Piece!". Kawashima was shocked but was impressed at how Oda is dedicated to his work. Oda added, "If you destroy your health due to overwork, I'll take care of your family financially."

Oda's editors mustn't miss a single phone call from Oda since otherwise he gets mad, so they place their mobile phones on the chest when sleeping. In 2017, editor Sugita confessed he had suffered from phantom vibration syndrome where it felt like his mobile phone was vibrating when it was not.

@Greg Thanks for the insightful posts. I remember your post years ago that you keep in mind not to talk about One Piece too much with Oda when meeting him face to face despite you being a super-OP-fan because he is probably exhausted with his everyday work and needs something to be relaxed. I consider your choice nice and I'd do the same if I were you.

sandman

Not only fans but also surprisingly Oda's editor Hattori was against the idea of killing Ace. He asked, "Oda-san, are you really gonna kill Ace? I don't think it's a good decision." But Oda had made up his mind ever since he came up with Ace as a character. Oda after watching the anime got angry: I wonder why Ace had to be killed in that harsh way..

Oda revealed in a magazine in 2012 that he had initially planned he would kill Ace within 1 year from his first appearance chapter.

sandman

Yesterday, Oda asked #ChatGPT about the next story.

Oda "Hi, I'm the author of One Piece. I can't come up with the next developments of OP. Would you consider a super amazing story on behalf of me?"

GPT: How about Shadow King appearing in front of Straw Hats and trying to kidnap Chopper using his shadow ability? Robin searches for the Shadow Tribe she has met before for defeating the enemy. Straw Hats visit Shadow Island. Luffy finally defeats the Shadow King and rescues Chopper. Robin gains new knowledge about the tribe's history."

Oda: Thanks! I'll follow your advice exactly!

ChatGPT: You're welcome. Here's another idea: Straw Hats decide to help "aliens" and fight an evil witch. Anyway, feel free to ask me if you need my help.

Official source video:

Riddler

Lol I kinda want to see the story where they fight an evil witch

Johnny B. Decent

@Riddler Well, if you view Devil Fruits as magic, there is Big Mom.

electricmastro

@sandman said in Oda's Interviews:

Yesterday, Oda asked #ChatGPT about the next story.

Oda "Hi, I'm the author of One Piece. I can't come up with the next developments of OP. Would you consider a super amazing story on behalf of me?"

GPT: How about Shadow King appearing in front of Straw Hats and trying to kidnap Chopper using his shadow ability? Robin searches for the Shadow Tribe she has met before for defeating the enemy. Straw Hats visit Shadow Island. Luffy finally defeats the Shadow King and rescues Chopper. Robin gains new knowledge about the tribe's history."

Oda: Thanks! I'll follow your advice exactly!

ChatGPT: You're welcome. Here's another idea: Straw Hats decide to help "aliens" and fight an evil witch. Anyway, feel free to ask me if you need my help.

Official source video:

Even Oda would never actually come up with a story as ridiculous as that. lol

andre

All those Shadow King references make me think ChatGPT is just me in middle school.

Seafarer33

Yeah, not the first time I come by a ChatGPT story and find it rather basic. It's good at dropping keywords, but professional writers still have a good few years ahead of them before they need to worry about AI competition

crlsdc

Should we worry that Oda actually wrote a story where the straw hats had to fight the Shadow King? 🤭

Ghost of Laugh Tale

What we didn't see under Imu's pile of bounties was Chopper's. The Shadow King didn't even need to think about that one

sandman

Around 2017, after a chapter was out, Oda asked editor Sugita if he felt unnatural somewhere in the chapter. Sugita admitted he had felt a bit unnatural but refrained from pointing it out. Oda got mad, "Don't you dare do that again! Editor's opinion is so important as my first audience!"

Epicopboy

@sandman thanks for this Sandman

sandman

Oda's first editor Asada (1997-2001) left Oda's manuscript in a shop by mistake. Shueisha has a rule: editors instantly get fired if they lose manga manuscripts. He hurried to the shop and luckily found it. He recalled in 2017 it was the worst mistake he had ever made.

Zephray

Has anyone yet asked Oda why he changed his mind about Yamato joining the crew? He clearly set him up to join, then decided not to. I’d really love to one day hear his reasoning. Did he just not like him enough to join by the end of the arc? Did he realize that Yamato reading Oden’s journal would be problematic for spoiling the final stretch? Did Oda hate drawing Yamato, or maybe didn’t like how his dynamic would fit in with the crew? I really want to know why Oda decided against it after so clearly telegraphing Yamato joining.

electricmastro

@Zephray said in Oda's Interviews:

Has anyone yet asked Oda why he changed his mind about Yamato joining the crew? He clearly set him up to join, then decided not to. I’d really love to one day hear his reasoning. Did he just not like him enough to join by the end of the arc? Did he realize that Yamato reading Oden’s journal would be problematic for spoiling the final stretch? Did Oda hate drawing Yamato, or maybe didn’t like how his dynamic would fit in with the crew? I really want to know why Oda decided against it after so clearly telegraphing Yamato joining.

I doubt he'd straight up answer it before the series is over, but I'm pretty certain that he never changed his mind. Yamato had no solid catalyst to drive her story forward into the Straw Hats, like how Hiriluk was Chopper's catalyst for example, and seems to now be gaining it in the form of Momo, as opposed to Oden. It makes sense since Wano seemed to have Luffy's battle and Momo's position as the two main priorities, so of course everything else couldn't get equal focus, Yamato included.

It's prob "a more extreme version" of when Jinbe turned Luffy down back then, done to get us to remember her even though we're at a different island right now. If Yamato hadn't have turned Luffy down the way she did, then we'd prob think she was more superfluous and wouldn't even be talking about her right now.

Zephray

I’m not buyin what you’re sellin, but that’s besides the point of my post (who wants to have another Yamato debate?); the simple truth is his joining was clearly telegraphed, then reneged. I’m hoping Oda can give some sort of answer or hint when someone asks. Still holding out hope there’s a huge plot reason and they’ll join for the final voyage or something. Sure does feel like Oda just changed his mind, though. Hoping that’s not the case and I want confirmation from him one day.

Kfunk

@Zephray said in Oda's Interviews:

Or what if... Yamato was never mean to be a straw hat?

Deicide

@Zephray said in Oda's Interviews:

the simple truth is his joining was clearly telegraphed, then reneged

Since when Oda says how a plot will end in page 2? Yamato asking to join in her second chapter was a big red flag.

He was not meant to join, Oda baited the audience. We may keep asking why he thought doing it was a good idea, but I don't see a sliver of chance of Yamato being considered for the crew for real.

Coookie

@Kfunk said in Oda's Interviews:

@Zephray said in Oda's Interviews:
Or what if... Yamato was never mean to be a straw hat?

Deliberately setting up a false expectation should still lead to a satisfying payoff, or have the journey to the intended outcome make sense.

If someone is constantly telling you that they have an awesome present for your birthday, and on your birthday you're being told "I actually don't have a present for you", how would that make you feel?

electricmastro

@Zephray said in Oda's Interviews:

I’m not buyin what you’re sellin, but that’s besides the point of my post (who wants to have another Yamato debate?); the simple truth is his joining was clearly telegraphed, then reneged. I’m hoping Oda can give some sort of answer or hint when someone asks. Still holding out hope there’s a huge plot reason and they’ll join for the final voyage or something. Sure does feel like Oda just changed his mind, though. Hoping that’s not the case and I want confirmation from him one day.

Might as well have said Jinbe was reneged when he turned down Luffy twice to go with him at Fish-Man Island and Whole Cake then. In any case, you’re free to believe what you want of course. For me though, until it’s shown Yamato dies or Yamato’s dreams will die, then I’m willing to believe what she says in 1057 and 1059 about sailing with Luffy as a crewmate once her business is finished in Wano, being part of “Luffy’s crew of ten” like Oda was saying.

If I’m wrong, then the manga will prove me wrong. Simple as that.

sandman

In Film Red, we saw Shanks Pirates fighting based on the advice from Oda. But the director said he deliberately put some fake fight styles although some are true. He was worried Red may end up spoiling manga fans' predictions and thought full fight styles should be revealed in manga.

The director Taniguchi might be implying Shanks has something up in his sleeves about his fight style other than swordsmanship/Haki ...?

electricmastro

Ah, so “false facts” were used then. lol

Johnny B. Decent

Well, Shanks does also use a rifle in Pirate Warriors 3/4.

andre

Based fake news Oda.

zorosempai

Wait so shanks using some fire sword was fake or what.

Fire sword attacks would suit shanks very well, also with the red nickname. Kinda like the swordman version of sanji.

Deicide

@zorosempai “not canon”

crlsdc

An example of canon fighting style that involves a sword on fire is given by Fossa

King Cannon

Imagine remembering Fossa over Kin'emon for fire-using swordsman.

Granted, Kin'emon barely used his abilities during the Wano arc.

crlsdc

Right! How could I forget Kin’emon? 🫣
Seems I love tertiary and quasi -extra characters way too much

sandman

Oda: I usually don't mention this because my fans may be disappointed, but some important plots were not planned well in advance (as seen in the below pic). I think it'd be even more amazing if retconned plots miraculously end up working well.🥰

*Wonder if Shanks appearing in Wano was retconned as well..?
Also, I wonder how Oda would have wrapped up the Marineford War without Shanks..

alt text

Cockycent

I think I remember most of these outside of the Lucci one.

Sun. D.

@sandman I rate dragon would have stopped marine Ford

Deicide

Shanks appearing always felt like: “let’s de-escalate this quickly, time’s over”.

Without him, it would probably be about the pirates retreating (with significant sacrifices).

electricmastro

I get the feeling Oda starts a lot of arcs with only specific main intentions and makes up a a lot of stuff as he goes along.

I recall his only two main intentions at the start of the Water 7 Saga was the Straw Hats recruiting Franky as shipwright and saying goodbye to the Merry.

FolhaS

@Cockycent said in Oda's Interviews:

I think I remember most of these outside of the Lucci one.

But it was already known, though.

Oda has said he didn't plan who would be the traitor/sleeper agents among the Galley-La, he just designed interesting characters for himself and then decided that it would be way cooler if they were "randomly" the villains.

Since it was an arc about secrets and undercover branches of the Gvnmt it worked out pretty well.

electricmastro

I also recall Brook's final design wasn't settled on by the time Oda introduced Laboon in 1999, even though he had this idea of a skeleton crewmate beforehand.

sandman

@redon said in New One Piece Movie: RED (6th August 2022) !!:

Eiichiro Oda won 18th Shin Watanabe Award!! It's an award from the "Watanabe Foundation for Music & Culture" that honors producers who promote the development of pop culture. Oda won as One Piece Film Red producer.

https://natalie.mu/comic/news/515071

Good work, redon!

Here is a summary of Oda's message.

Oda: OP started in a small room 25 years ago with just a piece of paper. I've been wondering how far it can entertain fans. I won't be satisfied with this prize. I'll keep creating OP as a great time-killer

sandman

Oda didin't originally plan to cut off Shanks' arm. It was due to editor's advice to spice up the story. I wonder what the relationship between Shanks and Mihawk would have been if he hadn't lost his arm. Was the advice good or bad..? 【source: editor's interview in Jump 2010

Cockycent

I like reading this lol. I hope Buggy attaches his arm to Shanks for a combination Yonko attack like BM and Kaido.

Johnny B. Decent

I would have taken Shanks' eye instead. The one not scarred.

Zik

The lord of the coast biting out Shanks’ eye would’ve been a few crazy panels.

Johnny B. Decent

@Zik There's a couple reasons why I said the eye

His depth perception wouldn't have been as good, giving the same excuse why Mihawk no longer fights him.
So he can wear a badass eyepatch.
Allowing him both of his arms in fighting.

Deicide

@Johnny-B-Decent Eye sight loss is a very minor drawback in a world with Observation haki. Also, having an eyepatch is rarely a disadvantage in most fantasy stories.

Losing an arm or leg feels more like a drawback.

(And there’s One Piece, in which a one-leg gladiator can somehow perform just as well as anyone else….)

sandman

Oda (2016): Toriyama-sensei, how do you feel about fans around the world loving characters you created more than 30 years ago? Honestly, I love Yamcha. Although he was always handled miserably, I believe he'll have his own highlight scenes some day!

spoiler

electricmastro

Momo is Oda's Yamcha I guess. lol

sandman

Oda: My favorite food is cheap chopped pork from a discount store over rice with soy sauce. I don't like expensive marbled meat.
*When Oda holds a home party, he prepares tons of super-expensive meat from a famous steak restaurant to entertain his guests, as in the pic below. The person next to the grill is Ace's VA, Toshio Furukawa.

spoiler

Greg

The restaurant is Wolfgang Steakhouse. It's amazing. One Piece did a collab with them a few years back.

sandman

Thanks for the additional info, Greg! Hopefully I'll visit the restaurant some day.

Oda (2018): I'll put an end to One Piece when the time has come no matter what Shueisha asks me to prolong the series. It totally depends on my own decision.

*Such as Dragon Ball and Yu Yu Hakusho were prolonged contrary to the authors' intention because of their popularity. Torishima, former DB editor, said he regretted it.

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Crocodile's sand ability has been drawn by Oda's assistants.
Interview of the assistants: It has been so painful to draw Crocodile's ability because it requires us too much time. We hope that Crocodile will die as soon as possible. lol

spoiler

Ghost of Laugh Tale

I feel the pain of that assistant. And man does the Alabasta art look clean compared to how it's now. In both good and bad

sandman

When Oda drew the Amazon Lily arc, he was worried that his daughters may consider him a pervert. One day, his daughter asked him, "Dad, you really like boobs, right?" Oda realized he was no longer able to behave proudly as a father in front of his daughters. (2019)